Two ships sailing from Florida now, a third arriving in Miami in January 2027. Here’s which one fits your port, your crew and your budget — with every daily charge counted.
Choose the port, then the ship.
Paradise sails 2- to 5-night trips from Palm Beach to the Bahamas and Key West, while Islander runs 4 to 10 nights from Tampa. Beachcomber starts from PortMiami in January 2027 and moves to Galveston that October.
Islander is the stronger ship on our scores — dining 7.0 against 6.7, entertainment 5.5 against 5.0. She also skips the $15 nightly fuel supplement Paradise charges.
Every ship adds $22 per person, per night in gratuities, children included — count it before you call any fare cheap.
dining & shows
Two ships rated, one waiting, cabins compared rather than scored.
| Ship | Dining | Entertainment | Cabins | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise | 6.7 / 10 | 5.0 / 10 | Not scored (no sitewide cabin rubric) | Sailing from Palm Beach |
| Islander | 7.0 / 10 | 5.5 / 10 | Not scored (no sitewide cabin rubric) | Sailing from Tampa |
| Beachcomber | Not yet rated | Not yet rated | Not scored (no sitewide cabin rubric) | Debuts January 2027 |
We retired it, because it mixed traveler-fit ratings with quality scores and gave numbers that disagreed with our own dining and entertainment guides. These are the only scores now, and every Margaritaville page uses them.
Beachcomber isn’t rated because she hasn’t carried a guest — the preview pages compare her announced features instead.
Cabins aren’t scored on any ship — the cabin guides compare categories, sizes and occupancy side by side, which tells you more than a single number would.
Tap through to the guide behind a number to see the categories that built it.
All three ships sailed for Costa before they flew a Margaritaville flag, so search an old review by the former name and check the year before you trust it.
The only ship selling trips shorter than four nights — Palm Beach to Nassau, Grand Bahama, Key West and Bimini, with a few 5-night runs further out. She’s the smallest of the three, with an adults-only pool and a food hall that opened in January 2026.
Bigger, with more balconies, a three-story LandShark Bar and the longest trips in the fleet — Mexico, the Western Caribbean and 8- to 10-night runs. No fuel supplement, and suites come with their own dinner menu.
The largest of the three, debuting from Miami in January 2027 after a refit in Belfast, per trade reports. She brings three new production shows, two bridge-wing suites and Same Boat, a live-music room designed with Zac Brown — but nobody has sailed her under this flag yet.
| Paradise | Islander | Beachcomber | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Sailing | Sailing | Announced — first sailing January 2027 |
| Former name | Grand Classica (originally Costa Classica) | Costa Atlantica | Costa Fortuna |
| Built | 1991 | 2000 | 2003 |
| Gross tonnage | 52,926 | 85,861 | 102,587 |
| Guests | 1,680 | 2,650 in line releases; 2,680 on the deck plan | 2,702 on the deck plan; a 2025 release said about 3,450 |
| Crew | 590 | 920 | 1,090 |
| Ship length | 723.6 ft | 960 ft | 272.19 m (about 893 ft) |
| Home port | Port of Palm Beach | Port Tampa Bay, Terminal 6 | PortMiami from Jan 2027; Galveston from Oct 2027 |
| Cruise lengths | 2–5 nights | 4–10 nights | 4–8 nights (Miami); 4–7 (Galveston) |
| Fuel supplement | $15 per person, per night | $0 | Not published |
| Suite dining | No — no suite menu, concierge or lounge listed | Yes — suite-exclusive dinner menu for every suite plus Premium Extended and Wake View balconies | Yes, announced — suite-exclusive dinner menu for Junior, Grand Terrace, Signature Grand and Bridge Wing suites |
| Adults-only pool | Yes — 12 Volt Pool, aft | Yes — Tiki Pool, 18+ | None announced; adults-only cabanas at 5 o’Clock Somewhere |
| Kids clubs | Jolly Mon (3–6), Parakeets (7–12), Teen’s Club (13–17) | Jolly Mon, Parakeets (6–9), The Hangout (10–12), Teen’s Club (13–17) | Jolly Mon, Parakeets (6–9), The Hangout (10–12); no teen club — teen programming around the ship |
| Casual food hub | High Tide Market (since Jan 2026) | Port of Indecision Buffet; High Tide planned for 2027 | High Tide Market at launch |
for fun, not a rating
Answer four questions — the port you can reach counts most, because it usually decides the trip anyway.
A preference tool, not a score. It weighs your port, trip length, ages and perks. Your answer never changes a rating.
Four years, three secondhand ships, one brand license from Margaritaville Enterprises — here’s the timeline.
Per Wikipedia, the Sheehan family bought Celebration Cruise Line’s assets and started the Palm Beach line that became Margaritaville at Sea.
Bahamas Paradise becomes Margaritaville at Sea, and its Grand Classica is renamed Paradise.
The renamed ship leaves the Port of Palm Beach for Grand Bahama, though the line’s About page dates the brand launch to May 2022.
Four nights from Port Tampa Bay to Cozumel, after a conversion at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, per Cruise Industry News.
The line announces it has acquired Costa Fortuna, and in July 2025 she gets her name: Beachcomber.
The food hall replaces Paradise’s self-service buffet after a dry dock.
Zac Brown is her godfather and performs on board before the first departure.
Announced September 9, 2026 — her Miami season runs January to September 2027.
Christopher Ivy is chief executive officer. He’s quoted with that title in the line’s releases from December 4, 2023, through the October 1, 2026 release announcing 2028 itineraries — the most recent we checked.
Earlier releases named other chiefs: Oneil Khosa at the 2022 launch, Kevin Sheehan, Jr. in June 2023. The ships are operated by Classica Cruise Operator Ltd. under a license from Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC, with offices in Orlando.
Checked October 9, 2026 — these charges go on top of the fare, not inside it, and most of them you can’t decline.
| Charge | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gratuities, staterooms | $22.00 per person, per night | All ships; auto-added, children included |
| Gratuities, suites | $25.00 per person, per night | All ships |
| Fuel supplement | Paradise $15 · Islander $0 · Beachcomber not published | Per person, per night; Paradise and Islander as of June 1, 2024 |
| Service charge on extras | 20% | Room service, spa, specialty dining and drinks, since Feb 1, 2025 |
| Ultimate Beverage Chill | From $49.99 per person, per night + 20% | Every guest 21+ in the cabin must buy; 15 drinks a day, $20 cap per drink |
| Unlimited Soda | $12.00 per person, per night | Souvenir cup and fountain refills |
| Wi-Fi (per device, per night) | $19.99 / $26.99 / $30.99 / $39.99 | Connect, Basic, Premium, Business |
| Drinking age | 21 | Casino 18 |
| Final payment | 76 days (2-5 nights) · 91 days (6-7) · 121 days (8+) | Before sailing |
The drink package shows from $49.99 per person, per night on the line’s offer page and on the Islander and Beachcomber package pages, but from $69.99 on Paradise’s package page. With the 20% charge that’s about $59.99 against $83.99 a night.
Beachcomber’s fuel supplement isn’t published at all, so get both figures in writing for your exact date.
A February 2026 Cruise Hive report says gratuities rose from $20 and $24 to today’s $22 and $25 — the line itself just lists the current rates.
On Paradise, gratuities plus fuel come to about $37 per person, per night in a stateroom — $148 each on a 4-night trip before a single drink.
Gratuities, fuel and drinks, from the line’s published rates. Your quoted fare isn’t in here — this is the part on top of it.
About $37.00 per person, per night. Includes Paradise’s $15 per person, per night fuel supplement.
Our arithmetic. The drink package adds the mandatory 20% service charge. Soda is shown at its package price. Taxes and port fees are usually inside the quoted fare, so they aren’t added.
Short version: it’s per person, per night, and it’s all-or-nobody for the adults in your cabin.
The Ultimate Beverage Chill is the line’s main drink package, and the rules decide whether it pays:
Without a package, the fare still includes filtered water, ice, hot coffee, tea, milk, juices and lemonade. Soda and bar drinks cost extra; Unlimited Soda is $12 per person, per night.
| Rule | What the line says |
|---|---|
| Drinking age | 21 for all alcohol, on every sailing; fines up to $500 |
| Casino | 18 and over |
| Booking | Lead guest must be 18 or older at sailing; a minor without both parents needs a consent form |
| Infants | At least 6 months old on Paradise; no figure published for Islander or Beachcomber |
| Pregnancy | Not permitted if entering the 24th week before or during the cruise |
| Luggage | Two bags up to 50 lb each; $55 per extra or overweight item |
| Documents (U.S.) | Passport book or card, or an original or certified birth certificate plus photo ID at 16 and up; no photocopies |
Count the drinks you’d really order in a day and price them against about $59.99 — then multiply by every adult in the cabin, because they all pay.
Pick your sailing length — the windows are per guest, and they tighten as the trip gets longer.
| Days before sailing | Penalty per guest |
|---|---|
| 120–76 | No charge, except non-refundable deposits |
| 75–61 | Deposit or 50% of the fare, whichever is greater |
| 60–31 | Deposit or 75%, whichever is greater |
| 30–0 | 100% |
Final payment due 76 days before sailing. Miss it and the booking cancels automatically.
| Days before sailing | Penalty per guest |
|---|---|
| 120–91 | No charge, except non-refundable deposits |
| 90–61 | Deposit or 50%, whichever is greater |
| 60–31 | 75% |
| 30–0 | 100% |
Final payment due 91 days before sailing. Miss it and the booking cancels automatically.
| Days before sailing | Penalty per guest |
|---|---|
| 120–91 | Deposit or 25%, whichever is greater |
| 90–61 | 50% |
| 60–31 | 75% |
| 30–0 | 100% |
Final payment due 121 days before sailing. Miss it and the booking cancels automatically.
Deposit amounts aren’t published on the policy page — ask before you pay one. Prepaid gratuities come back in full if you cancel.
Longer trips lock in sooner: penalties start at 75 days on a 2- to 5-night cruise but at 120 days on 8 nights or more.
Buy travel insurance before your first penalty date, not after it.
the one-time party
Three ships, one port, one concert — book it for the date, and get the details in writing.
For one day, all three ships will be in Nassau together — the line calls it its first-ever fleet gathering. The Zac Brown Band plays the Nassau Cruise Port Amphitheatre, and the show is exclusive to guests on those three sailings.
It’s a one-off, not a regular feature — nothing the line has published puts the band on normal sailings or at Same Boat.
The line sells VIP packages for the concert at extra cost and hasn’t published their price, and its release doesn’t say whether general concert access is part of the fare.
| Ship | Sailing that joins the meet-up | Ports |
|---|---|---|
| Paradise | 4 nights from Palm Beach | Freeport, Nassau |
| Islander | 5 nights from Tampa | Freeport, Nassau |
| Beachcomber | 7 nights from PortMiami | George Town (Grand Cayman), Ocho Rios, Nassau |
Zac Brown is Beachcomber’s godfather, and he performs on board at her christening in Miami on January 9, 2027, before the first departure.
Open on one ship, coming with another, promised for the third.
High Tide Market is the line’s food hall: several counters under one roof, in place of a classic buffet. The line announced it on December 17, 2025 and is rolling it out through 2027.
Five counters: Mexican Cutie Cantina, License to Chill Sandwich Shack, Slice of Paradise (desserts), Provisions Salads & More and Frank & Lola’s Pizzeria. It replaced the old self-service buffet.
Five counters, two of them not on Paradise: Kickin’ & Pickin’ Chicken and Sun Baked BBQ, alongside Provisions, Slice of Paradise and Frank & Lola’s. The line says it’s all included, no reservation needed.
The line promises a “newly enhanced version” in 2027. Until it opens, Islander’s casual hub is the Port of Indecision Buffet, and her dining page still lists it.
One food hall with several counters — we don’t count the hall and its counters as separate restaurants in any total.
One ship changes states, and the next year’s map is already out.
Beachcomber goes to Texas. The line’s September 9, 2026 release moves her to Galveston from October 2027 for 4- to 7-night trips. Ports across that program include Cozumel, Progreso, Roatán, Belize, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Key West, Grand Bahama Island, Bimini, Aruba, Curaçao and Veracruz.
Her Miami season runs January to September 2027. The line gives no end date for Galveston, though Seatrade Cruise News reported a commitment through October 31, 2028, tied to berthing work at PortMiami — a report, not a line schedule.
2028 is on sale. The October 1, 2026 release lists 30 itineraries visiting 25 destinations.
If you’re planning a 2027 Beachcomber trip, check whether your date leaves from Miami or Galveston before you book flights.
The theme is the draw. If you’d trade some of it for better food, bigger shows or real suite perks, these are the ships to price next.
Every number here comes from the same Seabound scales as the Margaritaville scores, so filter by what you want more of.
Included dining rates 7.7 and the chef’s-table-led Special Experiences category 8.3, where Margaritaville’s brunch earns 5.0. Their shows score lower than either Margaritaville ship: 4.6 and 4.8.
Suite dining rates 8.3 on our scale against Islander’s 5.0 — that’s a private suite ecosystem, not a menu. Entertainment scores 6.2, and her MSC scores carry brand-specific deductions, explained on her pages.
A middle step on suite dining at 7.4, above Islander’s 5.0 and well above Paradise’s 1.0.
The biggest jump in shows on this list: 7.1 for entertainment against Islander’s 5.5.
A smaller step up in shows: 5.9 on our entertainment scale.
Islander’s home — our port guide covers the terminal, parking and the other lines that sail from Tampa.
Beachcomber’s first home, and our PortMiami guide covers the terminals and the big lines that share them.
Paradise’s home port — for a short trip on another line, look south to Port Everglades or PortMiami.
Where Beachcomber goes in October 2027. Our guide covers the port and its other lines.
If the 2- to 4-night format is what you want more than the theme, our Bahamas page and the big-line guides lay out the options.
Bahamas cruises · Carnival · Royal Caribbean · Norwegian · MSC
Seabound entertainment scores out of 10. Margaritaville ships highlighted.
Tell us the ship, the date and who’s in the cabin. We’ll add up gratuities, fuel and drinks, and tell you which ship fits.
A Seabound Journeys advisor checks your question against the line’s current prices for your date.
Seabound Journeys prices your Margaritaville sailing with gratuities, fuel and packages shown up front.
Two are sailing: Paradise from the Port of Palm Beach and Islander from Port Tampa Bay. A third, Beachcomber (formerly Costa Fortuna), is christened in Miami on January 9, 2027, sails from PortMiami through September 2027 and moves to Galveston in October 2027.
On Seabound’s editorial scores, Islander rates higher: dining 7.0 and entertainment 5.5 out of 10, against Paradise’s 6.7 and 5.0. Paradise is the only ship for 2- and 3-night trips. Beachcomber is not yet rated because she hasn’t sailed for the line.
Yes. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line announced the Margaritaville at Sea rebrand on December 8, 2021, and its Grand Classica became Paradise, first sailing from Palm Beach on April 30, 2022.
Christopher Ivy, named as chief executive officer in the line’s releases from December 2023 through its October 1, 2026 release announcing 2028 itineraries.
$22.00 per person, per night in staterooms and $25.00 in suites, added automatically and charged for children too. Checked October 9, 2026.
Paradise charges $15 per person, per night. Islander is $0. The line hasn’t published a figure for Beachcomber, so ask for it in writing when you book.
It starts from $49.99 per person, per night on most of the line’s pages (Paradise’s package page says from $69.99), plus a mandatory 20% service charge. Every guest 21 or older in the cabin must buy it, it covers up to 15 alcoholic or specialty drinks a day priced up to $20 each, and it excludes specialty coffee and room-service drinks.
No. It’s a one-time concert at the Nassau Cruise Port Amphitheatre on January 28, 2027, for guests on the three sailings that meet in Nassau that day. VIP packages cost extra, and the line hasn’t said whether general access is in the fare.
76 days before sailing for 2- to 5-night cruises, 91 days for 6 to 7 nights and 121 days for 8 nights or more. If you miss it, the booking is cancelled automatically.
Not yet. High Tide Market opened on Paradise in January 2026 and launches with Beachcomber in January 2027. The line has announced an enhanced version for Islander in 2027; until then she uses the Port of Indecision Buffet.
